And the question he most hated being asked: Was his team suffering a hangover from losing the 2011 championship?

That’s what happens when you go from dominating in 2011 and nearly winning the championship to missing the Chase and plummeting to 15th in the standings.

After losing the 2011 title on a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart, Edwards said he and his Roush Fenway Racing team guarded against such a hangover.

“We knew that could happen before we even started, so we said, ‘OK, let’s not do this. Let’s not rest on what we did, keep our heads in the sand and not develop anything,’ ” he said. “We actively and consciously tried to avoid the exact thing you’re talking about.”

Whatever the reason, Edwards and his team could not sustain the incredible momentum it had in 2011, when Edwards set a record with an average finish of 4.9 in the Chase.

By midseason, Osborne was suffering from health problems and was replaced by Norris. The move didn’t help as Edwards continued to struggle and missed the Chase for the first time in six years.

That led to another question: Why was he struggling while teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth were winning races and running near the top of the standings?

“That’s a good question,” he said. “I can’t answer that question. I don’t know why, either.”

Highlights: Edwards had just three top-five finishes all season, and two of them came in the first five races. But at Richmond in May, he was as dominant as ever, leading 206 laps before getting penalized for jumping the restart after a late caution.

Low point: There were plenty to choose from. He ran out of gas at Phoenix, got swept into wrecks at Bristol and Talladega (twice) and had a flat tire at Dover. But Edwards still went into September with a shot to make the Chase. Until he blew an engine at Atlanta and finished 36th. That ended his Chase hopes and led to the worst points finish of his career.

Defining moment: Edwards dominated the May race at Richmond, so he was naturally expected to be a contender when the series returned in September. Instead, Edwards was never a factor and finished 17th, showing just how far his team had fallen since early in the season.

Outlook for 2013: Edwards finished the 2012 season riding a 69-race winless streak and as frustrated as he’s ever been in racing.

"I will never let myself get used to running like this," he said. "This is frustrating every week. I guess if it stopped being frustrating, then I would have to worry."

There was hope on the horizon, however, in the form of veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig, who led Kenseth to three wins in 2012.

Roush Fenway announced late in the season that Fennig would work with Edwards in 2013, perhaps giving Edwards the veteran leadership he needs to return to the top.

"From what I can tell he is just very, very competitive," Edwards said of Fennig. "He is old school in a number of ways but it seems like he does a very good job of getting the most out of all his people.